CEO reports on organization of events and conferences in 2015

Baku. 25 January. REPORT.AZ/ Caspian Event Organisers (CEO), the organiser of several annual international exhibition and conferences and professional operator of events in Azerbaijan, marks the end of 2015 with 8 international events which were held throughout the year, Report was told in the press service of the CEO.

In the spring of 2015, Caspian Event Organisers was selected to organize the 48th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The event hosted more than 2,500 representatives of the financial world, high-ranking government officials, finance ministers, heads of central banks of member countries, as well as representatives of international financial institutions and civil society organisations. It was the first event held in the recently commissioned Baku Congress Centre. Also this event was held at the Heydar Aliyev Center. The opening ceremony of the meeting was attended by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Mr Takehiko Nakao and other officials. The meeting was widely covered by local and international media.

In May 2015, these events were traditionally followed by the 9th Azerbaijan International Agriculture Exhibition, CaspianAgro 2015. The exhibition was included in the Action Plan, which was approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to mark the Year of Agriculture. This had a positive impact on the exhibition and helped it attract a lot of attention. For the first time, the exhibition was attended by 142 companies from 21 countries. More than 6800 visitors attended the event, which was much higher than in previous years. The exhibition was visited by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Artur Rasi-zade. According to the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Asadov, ‘such exhibitions, organized within the agrarian sector, provide new learning experiences for local entrepreneurs in the developing agricultural business sector. It also provides an opportunity to benefit from the latest equipment and technology’. Since its inception, the CaspianAgro exhibition has been supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

From August to September, Caspian Event Organisers participated in the organisation of training sessions in Baku, Ganja, Shirvan and Sheki, for members of the lower election commission, who were aiming to tailor their work methods to comply with European and international practices. These training sessions, which were organised in connection with the parliamentary elections in the country, were initiated by the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan within the framework of cooperation with the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijan International Education Exhibition is the only exhibition in the country that is organised with the official support of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It hosted 124 institutions from 16 countries around the world. A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan Republic, Azerbaijan University of Technology and Caspian Event Organisers (CEO) at the exhibition. A distinctive feature of this year’s exhibition was a business program dedicated to the event. The workshop entitled “Educational Programmes for Girls” also brought together a large audience. This workshop was attended by school principals, school psychologists and representatives of the Ministry of Education. Mrs Margaret Moulton - International Consultant to Independent Schools and Associations of the United States - participated as a speaker. The 9th Azerbaijan International Career Exhibition was held in parallel with the Education Exhibition and attracted over 13,000 visitors.

In October 2015, the 1st Azerbaijan Conference on Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility - Baku CSR Conference was held at the initiative of Caspian Event Organisers. This important event took place at the Fairmont Baku Hotel and brought 300 delegates and 34 speakers together. Despite the fact that the conference was held for the first time, Baku CSR Conference 2015 became an excellent platform for the study of local and international experience in the field of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. The delegates at the conference were representatives of the leading companies in Azerbaijan, such as SOCAR, Azercell, Access Bank, BP, EY, SAP, Telia Sonera, Temiz Shahar and Khalq Bank. The conference was also attended by representatives of various ministries, government agencies, consulting companies, international organisations and foreign experts.

As is tradition, the 6th Azerbaijan International Exhibition for Environmental Protection “Caspian: Technologies for Environment” (CTE 2015) was held in November 2015. The Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Huseyn Baghirov, the Minister of Environment and Water of Bulgaria Mrs Ivelina Vasileva, as well as foreign diplomats and heads of national agencies attended the event. The CTE 2015 exhibition welcomed 35 companies from, among other countries, Azerbaijan, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey and Switzerland. For the second year in a row, the national stand of the Czech Republic participated with the exposition.

Thus, 2015 was a success for Caspian Event Organisers. Planning is now underway for exhibitions and conferences in 2016, in which the company will host 7 exhibitions and 1 conference. One example is the organisation of the 3rd Caspian International Aqua Technologies Exhibition (CATEC 2016) which is scheduled for April. The exhibition is held every two years and is supported by Azersu. The Azerbaijan International Agriculture Exhibition, CaspianAgro will celebrate its tenth anniversary in May. This year, two new sectors have been added to our traditional areas of exhibition: e-agriculture, and laboratory equipment. A grandiose display of modern weapons and equipment, a demonstration of force and power of national defence within the framework of the 2nd Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition and Conference, ADEX 2016 will open the autumn season of exhibitions. This exhibition is held every two years on the initiative of and with organisational support from the Ministry of Defence Industry of Azerbaijan Republic, and with the support of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Upon the request of exhibitors, Caspian Event Organisers has extended the duration of the exhibition for up to 4 days this year. Already, 150 companies have confirmed their participation in ADEX 2016, and China, Israel, Russia, Turkey and France have already booked exhibition areas under their national stands.

Also, the 10th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Education Exhibition and the 10th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Career Exhibition will celebrate their anniversaries in October. There are several planned events for November: the 2nd Azerbaijan International Conference on Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility, Baku CSR Conference 2016; the 6th Azerbaijan International Exhibition for Environmental Protection “Caspian: Technologies for Environment”, CTE 2016; and the 22nd Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference, Bakutel 2016 which is held in cooperation with Iteca Caspian.

Thus, there have been positive trends in all the exhibitions. In times of crisis, the need to actively look for new ways to promote business will grow. Exhibitions allow businesses and government to make contact with potential customers without mediators. Caspian Event Organisers (CEO) has been a member of the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau since 2015. All activities carried out by the company are supported by government agencies.